The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has announced further details of its annual two-day conference The Festival Congress. This year’s event will include speakers from Glastonbury, Liverpool Sound City, Bestival, Kilimanjaro Live, Kendal Calling, Isle of Wight Festival and many more.

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The conference takes place at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff and will feature over fifty guest speakers during the 5th and 6th of November 2015.

The event will have a progressive agenda and format, featuring a series of presentations, roundtable discussions and quick-fire ‘Talking Heads’ sessions.

The ‘Taking ‘Heads’ sessions are presented inassociation with congress sponsor and lead educational partner, BIMM, with a time limit of 15 minutes. Topics will include: how advertising has evolved’’, the parallels between the craft beer and independent festival industries, Police negotiations, where UK festivals need to improve, engaging Government in festival development and 'Hello Moon': A remix of sounds from space,delivered by Professor Tim O'Brien (Jodrell Bank Observatory).

Confirmed guest speakers and presenters for the Congress include: Robert Richards (Commercial Director, Glastonbury), Dave Pichilingi (Liverpool Sound City CEO), Rob da Bank (Bestival), Zac Fox (Kilimanjaro Live), Rob Silver (Lovebox), Andy Smith (Kendal Calling) Sid Sharma (Shambala) and Ralph Broadbent (Count of Ten).

Paul Reed, General Manager of AIF said: “AIF are delighted to reveal further plans for the Festival Congress in Cardiff this year. From headline discussions to forward thinking ‘Talking Heads’ sessions, with festivals of all shapes and sizes represented in the line-up alongside some interesting voices from outside of the industry. “The key aim with the Congress is to reflect the creativity of the industry and create an event that is unmissable if you are interested in or involved with festivals and events”.

Delivering the keynote speech at this year’s event on the first day of the congress will be BBC Radio DJ and Sŵn Festival co-founder, Huw Stephens. Live Industry specialist and Senior Staff Writer at Music Week James Hanley will host the conference.

The 'Festival Frontiers' sessionwill reflect on festivals moving beyond the traditional headliner model towards a more multi-arts, experiential approach and 'Paradise City' will explore the rise of City festivals and the impact they have on economies and infrastructure.

Additional topics include ‘Creating the New World Order’ - looking at how visual arts, décor, installations and creative programming give festival audiences new experiences and determine a festival’s identity and longevity and ‘Keep them coming back’, examining what festivals can learn from agents, managers and tour managers.

There will also be a festival-themed evening celebration on November 5th at Cardiff University’s Great Hall with a street food festival banquet for delegates, including food from Cardiff’s Hangfire Smokehouse; AIF DJs including Rob da Bank; and The Festival Congress Awards, which recognises and rewards the hard work that goes on across the industry throughout the year. Further details about the awards will be announced soon.

A successful Festival Congress launch last year saw the largest gathering of independent festivals ever, as over 400 delegates and speakers enjoyed a two-day event in the capital of Wales.

The Festival Congress is supported by the Major Events Unit of the Welsh Government. New ticketing service Una Tickets is sponsor and exclusive ticketing partner.

The Festival Congress comes just before the full return of Sŵn Festival as a weekend event. This year Sŵn takes place over the weekend of the 7th and 8th of November. Tickets

Review of the 2015 event here.